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Starship Classification System (Timeline B)
The starship classification system is a method for organizing starships based on their size and function. It was implemented circa 4100 as a simple and effective way of classifying the many ships of the galaxy. Corvette Corvettes are small, fast, and lightly shielded. Their offensive weapons are too weak to give them many Military applications, but they're quite popular as blockade runners and medium transports. A few are even fitted with anti-fighter weaponry to fit that oft-empty niche in the galaxy's Navies. Most are about the size of the Galactic Civil War's Corellian Corvette, which is to say roughly 100 meters. Frigate The smallest class of ship that generally sees any action on the front lines. Frigates tend to be multipurpose vessels, as suited for escorting convoys and patrolling borders as they are for spearheading small attacks or assisting in larger ones. These ships often operate in numbers. The average frigate is roughly the size of the Acclamator-class assault ship from the Clone Wars. It should be noted that as of now, the Fourth Republic in particular is very short on frigates. Classes of frigate in the 4130s includ the Constellation Class Frigate and Conquistador Class Frigate Destroyer Usually one notch larger than a frigate, the destroyer is a ship with a great deal of offensive weaponry but little in the way of defense. Destroyers are extremely useful as escorts, for both larger warships and convoys, where the enemy is likely to fire on the larger or more important ship and leave the destroyer alone. This is often a fatal error on the part of the enemy Captain, as destroyers can deal much more damage than one would think. Destroyers come in a wide range of sizes. Some are as small as a frigate, most are just slightly larger than that. 0.8-0.9 km is fairly typical, which is equivalent to half the length of an Imperial Star Destroyer. Destroyers of the 4130s include the Serif Star Destroyers and Pegasus Class Destroyer Cruiser Cruisers are generally the backbone of a Navy. Most Navies deploy their cruisers only to full-scale battles; anything smaller can be handled by frigates. They tend to be as multipurpose as the frigate, if not more so, and many operate as much as a full wing of starfighters. Cruisers range from about 75% of the length of an Imperial Star Destroyer to 150% the length of said ship, or from 1.2 km to 2.4 km. Cruisers with particularly long-ranged guns are sometimes called "battleships". Some cruisers from the 4130s are the Aurora Class Cruiser and Magnum Class Cruisers. Battlecruiser The battlecruiser is a vessel that fills essentially the same role as a cruiser, but is significantly larger. Battlecruisers tend to be roughly 3.2 km long, twice the size of an Imperial Star Destroyer. The largest vessels to be classified as battlecruisers are those approximately three times the length of a Star Destroyer (4.8 km). Anything significantly larger than this is considered a dreadnaught. Battlecruisers are used as flagships if a dreadnaught is not available. Like the dreadnaught, the Republic tends not to use battlecruisers because their roles can be filled by smaller, generally more-efficient ships. The CIUS operates a type of battlecruiser they call the "galleon". These galleons have an ability to transport smaller vessels in addition to combat purposes, and the only galleon currently in widespread use is the Durock Galleon. Dreadnaught The term given to any Military ship larger than a battlecruiser's maximum size. Dreadnaughts are highly inefficient, as their missions could be done better and less expensively with multiple, smaller cruisers. Rather, dreadnaughts are seen as symbols of power and intimidation, and are almost always used as flagships. Dreadnaughts can range from about twice the length of an Imperial Star Destroyer to anything beyond that. Most dreadnoughts, though, fall in at around 10-11 times the size of an ISD - 16-18 km, the approximate length of a Super Star Destroyer. It should be noted that Fourth Republic military strategy is strongly against the use of dreadnaughts, which are seen as expensive and fantastically pointless. Instead, the Republic invests heavily in procuring cruisers and destroyers, which in numbers can best a dreadnaught. Category:Timeline B Category:Up-to-date Article Category:Fourth Republic